Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF) Receives Consensus Rating of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of Greif, Inc. (NYSE:GEF) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the six research firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have assigned a hold recommendation and one has assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $69.50.

A number of research analysts have issued reports on GEF shares. Wall Street Zen raised Greif from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, December 6th. Bank of America decreased their target price on shares of Greif from $77.00 to $71.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, September 2nd. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Greif in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Truist Financial dropped their price target on shares of Greif from $72.00 to $71.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, September 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Greif from $67.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Greif news, CFO Lawrence A. Hilsheimer bought 1,000 shares of Greif stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 18th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $65.49 per share, with a total value of $65,490.00. Following the purchase, the chief financial officer directly owned 198,444 shares in the company, valued at $12,996,097.56. This represents a 0.51% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Gary R. Martz sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.48, for a total value of $302,400.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 28,100 shares in the company, valued at $1,699,488. This trade represents a 15.11% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders bought 32,293 shares of company stock valued at $2,145,733 and sold 70,584 shares valued at $4,385,849. 7.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Greif

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its position in shares of Greif by 6.5% during the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 895,344 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $53,506,000 after purchasing an additional 54,256 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its stake in Greif by 75.5% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 524,603 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $31,352,000 after buying an additional 225,659 shares in the last quarter. Medina Value Partners LLC increased its stake in Greif by 19.3% during the 3rd quarter. Medina Value Partners LLC now owns 372,250 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $22,246,000 after buying an additional 60,338 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Greif by 54.2% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 366,449 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $20,015,000 after acquiring an additional 128,880 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Systematic Financial Management LP lifted its position in shares of Greif by 0.9% in the second quarter. Systematic Financial Management LP now owns 312,534 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $20,312,000 after acquiring an additional 2,817 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 45.74% of the company’s stock.

Greif Stock Performance

NYSE GEF opened at $69.35 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.02 and a beta of 0.95. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $63.03 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $63.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 1.18 and a current ratio of 1.41. Greif has a fifty-two week low of $48.23 and a fifty-two week high of $70.89.

Greif Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 18th will be given a dividend of $0.56 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 18th. This represents a $2.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.2%. Greif’s dividend payout ratio is currently 71.11%.

Greif Company Profile

Greif, Inc is a global leader in industrial packaging products and services, with a history dating back to its founding in 1877. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, the company has evolved from a regional barrel and drum manufacturer into a diversified packaging provider serving a wide range of end markets. Greif’s longstanding heritage in container solutions has positioned it as a trusted partner for customers seeking reliable, high-quality packaging options.

The company’s core business revolves around the design, manufacture and sale of industrial packaging products, including steel, plastic and fiber drums; intermediate bulk containers (IBCs); safety closures; rigid, flexible and reconditioned packaging; containerboard and protective packaging.